Chapter 289.

They reached the stern just as the first explosion sounded.

The blast came from somewhere above them.

The entire ship shuddered.

A light fixture broke loose overhead, striking the floor with a metallic crash. One of Christian’s men grabbed the railing to steady himself.

"What the hell was that?" Kylie shouted.

"Something went wrong with the upper deck!" one of the men called.

Christian looked towards the ceiling.

He could feel the ship’s movement changing.

This wasn’t merely a course correction anymore. Something was happening to the vessel itself.

"Get the boat ready!" he ordered.

"It’s already waiting, sir!"

"How far?"

"Less than twenty metres from the stern. We can lower the ladder, but the water’s rough."

Christian looked through the narrow opening ahead.

Beyond it, he could see a slice of dark ocean and the small boat waiting below. One of his men stood at the controls, watching the ship with tense concentration.

Twenty metres.

It sounded like nothing yet it looked like a lifetime. The boat rose and fell against the water, its hull knocking against the waves.

Kylie stepped towards the opening.

Then she looked down.

Her stomach dropped.

The ship was enormous.

From the deck, the water had looked distant enough to be manageable. From here, the height seemed impossible. The stern rose above the waves like the side of a building, and the boat waiting below looked much too small to hold them all.

The sea stretched in every direction.

There was no shore, no dock, and no safe place to land if she missed.

She stepped back.

Christian noticed immediately. "Blue?"

She shook her head. "No."

He turned fully towards her. "What is it?"

She looked at the water again. Her breath caught. "That’s too high."

He followed her gaze.

The distance between the ship and the boat was not something he could dismiss. The ladder was partially extended, but the rolling sea made it sway against the side of the vessel.

They could use it, but not safely while the ship continued to turn. And they were running out of time.

"We have to get down there," he said gently.

Kylie swallowed. "What if I miss the jump?"

Christian eyes softened.

"What if I jump and I miss? What if I hit the water wrong? What if I can’t get back up? Christian, I can’t—"

Her voice faltered.

She stared at the water. It was too much.

The height, the movement, the noise, and the knowledge that there were men behind them who would shoot if they got the chance all scares her.

She could fight someone who grabbed her. She could lie, manipulate, distract, kick, scratch and run.

She could force herself to keep moving when every instinct told her to curl into a ball and wait for the danger to pass.

But she couldn’t make the sea smaller.

She couldn’t make the boat closer.

And she couldn’t make herself stop imagining the moment her feet left the ship and there was nothing beneath them.

Christian stepped in front of her, blocking her view of the water. "Look at me."

She did.

His face was calm. He simply held out his hand. "Come here."

She moved into him.

He wrapped his arms around her and let her hide her face against his chest.

"It’s okay," he murmured.

"It’s not." Her voice trembled.

"No. It isn’t."

She clutched his shirt. "I’m scared."

"I know, baby."

"What if I miss the jump?"

He lowered his head until his mouth was beside her ear. "Then I’d find you in the water."

She pulled back just enough to look at him. "That is not comforting."

A small smile touched his mouth.

"Christian!"

"I’m sorry, Belle." He brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face.

"Listen to me. I’m not going to ask you to do something without helping you through it. We’ll get to the edge together. I’ll go first if you want me to. My men will be waiting below, and they know exactly what to do."

She glanced at the water again.

Her fingers tightened around his. "I don’t know if I can."

He held her gaze. "Right now, all you have to do is take one step."

The noise of the ship seemed to fade behind his voice.

"One step?" she whispered.

"One step."

"And then?"

"Another one."

"And then?"

"We’ll figure out the next one together."

Her lips trembled. "You make everything sound so easy."

"No, Blue." His thumb moved gently over her cheek. "I make it sound like you’re not doing it alone."

She stared at him.

Tears simply slipped down her face, one after another, while she tried to hold herself together.

Christian didn’t tell her to stop. He kissed her forehead and held her until she was ready to move.

Behind them, one of his men called out. "Sir, we need to go!"

Christian didn’t look away from Kylie. "Give us a minute."

The man hesitated. "Sir—"

"That’s an order."

The man fell silent.

Christian returned his attention to her. "Do you trust me?"

She nodded.

"Say it."

"I trust you."

"Good." He took her face between his hands. "Then let me help you."

She drew a shaky breath. "Okay."

He smiled softly. "There’s my girl."

She managed a watery laugh. "I’m going to hate you if I die."

"Then I suppose I have even more reason to keep you alive."

She shook her head. "You’re so annoying."

"Your favourite quality."

"Absolutely not."

"Liar."

He kissed her.

The kiss was slow and gentle, with his hand resting against her cheek, and his mouth lingering against hers long enough for her breathing to settle.

When he pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers. "Stay with me." he pleaded.

She nodded.

"Keep looking at me."

She sniffed. "I am."

"That’s all I need."

She nodded again, then she took his hand.

Together, they approached the edge.

....

Noah’s uncle reached the stern.

He knew something was wrong before he saw the men.

The passageway was too quiet.

The men he had stationed near the rear access door were missing. One lay unconscious against the wall, with his weapon gone. Another had been dragged behind a stack of equipment.

Noah’s uncle drew his gun.

"Sinclair!"

His voice rang through the corridor.

Christian heard it.

So did Kylie.

She froze.

Christian’s hand tightened around hers. "Don’t look back."

"He’s going to kill us."

"Not if I get there first."

She stared at him.

He gave her a brief, reassuring smile. "Come on, Blue."

They stepped onto the narrow platform at the stern.

The wind struck them immediately, cold and violent. It whipped Kylie’s hair across her face and caught at the fabric of her clothes.

Below them, the boat rose on a wave and dropped again.

She stopped.

Christian stopped with her.

For a moment, they simply stood there, the sea moving beneath them and the ship groaning overhead.

His men were already preparing the descent. One had secured the ladder while another held a rope against the side of the vessel.

"Sir!" a man called from below. "We can take you now!"

Christian nodded.

He turned to Kylie. "Should I go first?" He teased her.

Her eyes widened. "No."

She was terrified. Her face had gone pale, and she was gripping his hand hard enough that he could feel her nails through his skin.

But she was staring at him with an expression he knew well.

Kylie Benneth did not enjoy being left behind.

Even when she was afraid.

Especially when she was afraid.

"If you go first," she said, her voice trembling, "I’ll have to watch you jump."

Christian’s expression softened. "That’s true."

"And then I’ll have to jump after you."

"Also true."

"And I might change my mind."

"I wouldn’t dream of giving you that privilege."

She gave him a watery glare.

He lifted her hand to his lips. "Then we’ll do it together."

She looked at him. "Together?"

"Together."

The shout from the corridor came again.

"Get to the stern! They can’t have gone far!"

Noah’s uncle. He was coming closer now.

Christian glanced towards the door. Then back at Kylie. "Ready?"

She shook her head.

He smiled. "That’s all right."

He stepped closer, his arm slipping around her waist. "We’ll go when you’re ready. But you have to be ready now."

She swallowed.

The boat rose on another wave.

Her knees weakened.

Christian held her more firmly. "Look at me."

She did.

"Not the water."

She fixed her eyes on his.

"That’s it."

"Christian?"

"I’m right here."

"I need you to know something."

His smile faded slightly. "Tell me when we’re off this ship."

"No." Her voice cracked. "Now."

He searched her face. Whatever he saw there made him stop teasing. "All right."

She swallowed again. "If something happens—"

"Nothing is happening."

"Let me finish."

He closed his mouth.

She took a breath. "If something happens, I don’t want you thinking I didn’t want to be here with you."

His brows drew together. "Blue—"

"I mean it." Her fingers tightened around his. "I know I’m difficult. I know I talk too much, and I complain, and I probably drive you insane."

"You definitely do."

She gave him an incredulous look. "Christian!"

"Sorry. Continue."

A laugh escaped her, small and frightened. She looked at him for another moment. "I’m glad you came."

"There’s nowhere else I’d rather be."

Christian kissed her forehead. "On three."

She nodded.

"One."

She looked at the water and immediately looked away.

"Two."

Her fingers tightened around his.

"Three."

They jumped. For one terrifying second, there was nothing beneath them.

The ship rose above their heads. The wind tore at Kylie’s clothes, and her stomach seemed to remain somewhere up on the deck.

She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. All she could do was cling to Christian.

Then his arms tightened around her, and the waiting boat rushed up beneath them.

They hit the water beside it, and the cold swallowed them whole.